How do you pronounce godmother?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡɒdmʌðə/.

Where does godmother come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

godmother

/ˈɡɒdmʌðə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.92 in modern English

Syllables: god-mother
IPA: /ˈɡɒdmʌðə/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A woman present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner; a female godparent who sponsors the baptism of a child.

verb

To act as godmother to.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"The servants took to her – as they say – she godmothered three Susans during her rule, the coachman's, the gardener's and the Up Hill gamekeeper's."

Etymology

From Middle English godmoder, from Old English godmōdor (“godmother”), equivalent to god- + mother. Cognate with Old High German gotmuoter (“godmother”), Old Norse guðmóðir (“godmother”), Icelandic guðmóður (“godmother”), Swedish gudmoder (“godmother”), Danish gudmor (“godmother”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: god
Root: godmoder, godmōdor

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈɡɒdmʌðə/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

godmothers (plural) godmothers (present, singular) godmothering (participle, present) godmothered (participle, past) godmothered (past)

Derived Forms

godmotherhood godmotherly godmothership

Phrases

faerie godmother fairy godmother horse-godmother

Frequently Paired Words

godfather godchild goddaughter godsib godson

Synonyms

co-mother cummer godma